Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Nature India announces its very very special bird-watching trip to Desert National Park & Khichan (from 21st Dec’16 to 24th Dec’16).....

Date: 21st Dec'16 to 24th Dec'16 (travel
days excluded). The bookings for Desert National Park / Kheechan
bird-watching trip are on…..book your seats now (see the details at the
end).....Birdwatch in one and only one Desert of the South-east Asia
with Nature India...where Living is truly on the Edge...... Please See complete details (Itinerary, Charges etc) at the end of this Blog.

The
Thar Desert, often called an 'ocean of sand', covers a large area of
western Rajasthan. The fragile ecosystem of the Thar supports a unique
and varied wildlife. In this vast ocean of sands lies the famous Desert
National Park. More than 60 per cent of it is simply semi-arid desert.
The seemingly barren lands gradually dissolve at the horizon touching
Pakistan. But the warm sands of the Desert National Park beyond
Jaisalmer form a fertile micro broth hiding an astounding variety of
animals and birds. DNP, a World Heritage Site, falls in the extreme hot and arid region of very low rainfall zone (<100mm).

Though
one of the smallest deserts in the world, it harbors a wide array of
flora and fauna species. It is only place where Rajasthan State Bird
(Great Indian Bustard), State animal (Chinkara) and State tree (Khejri)
and State flower (Rohida) are found naturally. Thar desert has
representatives of Palaearctic, Oriental and Saharan elements and is an
outstanding example of geological history representing the different
stages of evolution. It also has fossil evidences dating back to the
Jurassic Period (180 mya) indicating hot and humid climate characterized
by dense forests.

We always think that wildlife is in good nos. only when, there are lot
of trees… Come to Desert National Park (DNP) & you will be amazed to
see the eco system here and bio-diversity. A National Park with huge
area of 3162 sq. km is second largest National Park of India after Hemis
National Park (4400 sq. km) in Ladakh. The major landform consists of
craggy rocks and compact salt lake bottoms, inters medial areas and
fixed dunes. Sand dunes form around 20% of the Park.

Despite
a fragile ecosystem there exists birdlife in good nos. The region is a
haven for migratory and resident birds of the desert. The greatest
attraction of the park is Great Indian Bustard, an endangered species. Desert National Park (DNP) is now the Last Abode of the Majestic Great Indian Bustard and this region probably is the last reliable site where there is a good chance to see them, though sadly not with any guarantee.

The
area is also well represented by various species of mammals, rodents
& reptiles like Indian Gazelle (Chinkara), Blue bull (Neelgay),
Desert & Indian Fox, Wolf, Desert & Jungle Cat,

Spiny-tailed lizard, Hedgehog, Spectacled Cobra etc…

KHICHAN - Rendezvous with Demoiselle Cranes

Khichan
is a small, simple village in the Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, with
extraordinary people. The entire village is known for establishing a
tradition of feeding wild birds. Up to 5000kg of bird seed (Jwar) is
consumed by birds every day! The small village is known to bird-watchers
all over the world, mainly because of large nos. of Demoiselle Cranes,
which come here every winter.

Some
years ago, a section of local people of Khichan (Mainly: Late
Prithvirajji Malu, Late Kishan Lalji Malu, Late Ganeshmalji Malu and
Late Ratan Lalji Malu) started offering grains to birds every morning.
This attracted a large number of Demoiselle Cranes, locally called as
‘kurjas'. What started initially as a few dozen visiting birds has now
become a major migration with over 15000 cranes visiting the village
every winter. Khichan today is a World Heritage Site, attracting
tourists from around the world who come to see the Demoiselle cranes
feeding right in the middle of a human settlement. Every morning Cranes
gather in speacially created rectangular enclosure, called as "chugga
ghars", where the grains are poured by Jain community. There is a simple
ecological significance of this act. Because the cranes get the food
they need, in the Chugga Ghar, they don’t ravage the farmlands of
Khichan and surrounding villages, thereby averting a potential conflict
with humans.

Mode of Travel: Tempo traveller from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer to Jodhpur & local non A/C jeeps.

Overnight train travel can be booked from Mumbai..... however
since it is a busy sector, the train bookings should be done soon to
get the desired train and class .... there are just a couple of trains
available for Jodhpur from Mumbai....NatureIndiacan ASSIST in bookings if required.

This does not include train
travel from Mumbai to Jodhpur & Jodhpur to Mumbai or any other
charges and also any individual camera charges ....Individuals will have
to pay additional charges if any to the forest dept. as per the rules.Registration: You can register by sending a confirmatory mail to natureindiatours@gmail.com and by paying a non refundable Advance of Rs.9000/-

(The seats will only be confirmed after receiving the advance amount & our registration confirmation by email) …..the remaining amount can be forwarded 1 month before the trip.......Please Register soon to get the confirmed train bookings and the desired class of travel. We can assist you for train bookings.Resource Persons: Mr.Adesh Shivkar & Mr.Mandar Khadilkar